Pharmacy authentication methods and systems

Abstract

An electronic image that includes information identifying a user of a client device is received, as is another electronic image that captures the face of the user. A first account (e.g., a store account) is linked to a second account (e.g., a pharmacy account) if an image of the user extracted from the first electronic image matches the face of the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for linking a user of a first account to a second account, the method comprising, by a processor of a server computing device:
 receiving, from a client device in communication with the server computing device via a network, authentication information to authenticate the user to the server computing device via the first account using the authentication information; 
 receiving, from the client device:
 a first electronic image comprising an image of a photo ID captured by a camera of the client device, the first electronic image comprising a first image of the face of the user obtained from an ID image of the face of the user arranged on the photo ID, and 
 a second electronic image comprising a second image of the face of the user captured by the camera of the client device; 
 
 determining whether the first image of the face of the user matches the second image of the face of the user; and 
 generating a link between the first account and the second account responsive to the first image of the face of the user matching the second image of the face of the user. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first account comprises a new account created via extracting information about the user from a bar code printed on the photo ID. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving authentication information comprising a pharmacy number, order number, or prescription number from the client device, and 
 comparing the pharmacy number, order number, or prescription number to a number associated with the user to authenticate the user to the server computing device. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the client device, a third electronic image of a prescription label captured by the camera of the client device, and 
 extracting the pharmacy number, order number, or prescription number from the third electronic image. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the photo ID comprises a driver's license, government-issued identification card, or passport. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising verifying the authenticity of the photo ID. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein verifying the authenticity of the photo ID comprises comparing the photo ID to a database of known good images of identification documents. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6 , wherein verifying the authenticity of the photo ID comprises querying a database of known good identification numbers to an identification number displayed on the photo ID. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first account comprises a store account and the second account comprises a pharmacy account. 
     
     
       10. A system for linking a user of a first account to a second account, the system comprising a server computing device comprising:
 a network interface configured for communication with a client device; 
 a non-volatile computer memory for storing information associated with the first account and information associated with the second account; and 
 a computer processor configured for executing software instructions to cause the server computing device to: 
 receive, from the client device in communication with the server computing device via a network, authentication information to authenticate the user to the server computing device via the first account, 
 receive, from the client device;
 a first electronic image comprising an image of a photo ID, the first electronic image comprising a first image of the face of the user obtained from an ID image of the face of the user arranged on the photo ID, and 
 a second electronic image comprising a second image of the face of the user captured by a camera of the client device, 
 
 determine whether the first image of the face of the user matches the second image of the face of the user, and 
 generate a link between the first account and the second account responsive to the first image of the face of the user matching the second image of the face of the user. 
 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein authenticating the user to the first account comprises accessing an existing account or creating a new account. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , wherein creating a new account comprises extracting information about the user from a bar code printed on the photo ID. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the information about the user comprises a name, address, or date of birth of the user. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the computer processor is further configured for executing software instructions to receive a pharmacy number, order number, or prescription number from the client device and compare the pharmacy number, order number, or prescription number to a number associated with the user. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the computer processor is further configured for executing software instructions to extract the pharmacy number, order number, or prescription number from a third electronic image comprising a prescription label. 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the photo ID comprises a driver's license, government-issued identification card, or passport. 
     
     
       17. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the first account comprises a store account and the second account comprises a pharmacy account. 
     
     
       18. An apparatus, comprising:
 at least one memory; and 
 logic, at least a portion of the logic comprised in hardware coupled to the at least one memory, the logic to:
 provide a store account associated with a store account database, 
 receive authentication information from a client device to authenticate a user of a client device to the store account, 
 receive a first face image from the client device, the first face image comprising an image of a face of the user arranged on a photo ID, the first face image generated by the client device via capturing an image of the photo ID using a camera of the client device, 
 receive a second face image from the client device comprising an image of the face of the user, the second face image generated by the client device via capturing an image of the face of the user using the camera of the client device, 
 determining whether the first face image matches the second face image, and 
 generating a link between the store account and a pharmacy account responsive to the first face image matching the second face image, the pharmacy account associated with a pharmacy database stored on a pharmacy server communicatively coupled to the apparatus, the link to provide access to the pharmacy database of the pharmacy server via authentication to the store account. 
 
 
     
     
       19. The apparatus of  claim 18 , the logic to verify a match of the first face image and the second face image by:
 receiving pharmacy account information comprising a pharmacy number, order number, or prescription number from the client device, 
 extracting user information from the image of the photo ID received from the client device, 
 determining an entry in the pharmacy database that matches the pharmacy account information, and 
 determining whether pharmacy database user information for the entry matches the user information extracted from the image of the photo ID. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 19 , the logic to:
 receive, from the client device, a third electronic image of a prescription label captured by the camera of the client device, and 
 extract pharmacy account information from the third electronic image.